Spain take the doubles medals two by two in Men while Jeannette Løvborg and Henriette Engel Hansen claim the world title at home

Sunday, September 22^nd, was the final day of the ICF Marathon World Championships in Copenhagen. After the emotions experienced in the previous two days, there were high expectations  when at 9:30 started the Women Senior K2 and Men Senior C2.

However, the first surprise jumped out just before the first kilometer. And never better said, because in the K2 of ones of the favorites for the medals, South Africans Michele Eray and Bridgitte Hartley , one of the rudder roulette screws jumped out, leaving them off the race. So the first leading bunch, facing the first portage, included one K2 from each of the following teams: Danish, Hungarian, Czech, British and Spanish Nuria Villacé and Raquel Carbajo. The other Spanish crew, formed by the very young and Begoña Lazcano and Amaia Benavente, was forced to leave after having done most of the first round in that group due to some sickness suffered by Lazcano. A pity, but a boat to keep in mind for the future and not just at Marathon, but also at Sprint.

Csay/Bara lead one of the portages with Løvborg/Hansen behind. Pic: Jan N

Meanwhile , ahead the selection started from the first portage . It was clear that the Hungarian crew of Renata Csay/Alexandra Bara and the Danish of Jeannette Løvborg/Henriette Engel Hansen were step by step tightening the rope, so after one third of the race thay both remained ahead just along with the Czechs Anna Adamova (Kova now) and Lenka Hrochova, the only ones who could keep on their wash. Behind, the chase group was led by the current European gold and silver medalists, Lizzie Lamph and Fay Broughton (GBR) and Nuria Villacé and Raquel Carbajo (ESP), who were for a long part of the race pulling from a group that included some other strong boats, like the Italiana Anna Alberti and Stefania Cicali and the Belgians and Lize Broekx and Hermien Peters, among others. In the last laps, British and Spaniards managed tu pull away and the fourth place went finally to Lamph/Broughton (GBR).

European Marathon Championships: Final day chronicle

In collaboration with Sportscene. Photos by Carolyn J. Cooper

Today was the day for K2 and C2, starting with the K2 Senior Women and the C2 early in the morning, in wet and fresh weather in Vila Verde, Portugal.
 
From the very start of the Women’s K2 it was seen that the English crew of Fay Lamph and Lizzie Broughton were attacking the race with determination. They were the only ones just focused on the K2, not having competed in K1 before, and that made the difference between them and the rest of the field. Only the U23 Spanish pair of Raquel Carbajo and Nuria Villacé could keep up with their pace, while the favorite Hungarian crews were together in the second group, slowly losing seconds. At the halfway point the difference was already about a minute.

The two crews in the front seemed to take it easy; the Danish Jeanette Løvborg and Annemia Pretzmann caught up to the second group while Hungarians Petra Tóth and Edina Csernák dropped behind. This meant the Danish were now fighting for bronze with the other Hungarian pair of Alexandra Bara and Vanda Kiszli.

Everything looked quiet until the fifth portage when Carbajo and Villacé, with their water pump not working, tried to empty the kayak while running and pushed the British against the fences. For a moment there was some tension; the judges were just in front but they agreed the action was unintentional and let the Spanish go with no penalty. However, the issue helped the prosecutors close the gap a little. During the last lap they were only around 30 seconds behind the leaders. At the last portage, Lamph and Broughton re-entered the water with decisiveness and took off while the Spaniards stopped to empty water from their K2. No final sprint was needed to see the British claim the European title and Carbajo and Villacé arrived in the silver medal position about fifty meters behind. In the sprint for the bronze medal, Bara and Kiszli took it for Hungary ahead of the Danish Løvborg and Pretzmann after keeping the 10 meter gap made up in the portage.

Renata Csay gets 12th gold medal and Spain remain as best Men team ever at World Marathon Championships

This is the article we have written in colaboration with Sportscene.tv, where you can read it and see all the results archive and pictures of the championships. Check it at this link. 

 


Renata Csay seems to have no limit after winning her 12th gold medal this morning at the Marathon World Championships with her team-mate Ramóna Farkasdi. On a sunny morning in Rome, again the start was very strong by the Hungarians, who clearly wanted to tighten the gap to avoid a pile-up of boats going into the portage at the same time. Only the South African crew, Alexa Cole and Eloise Van Gysen, seemed to be able to follow the terrific pace, but were finally caught again by the onslaught behind.

Italians Stefenia Cicali and Anna Alberti were not in the trailing group, but slowly started to come back. After two laps leaders Csay and Farkasdi decided to wait for the main group and fellow Hungarians Hagymási and Kiszli, perhaps due to team tactics.

The race was fought over the next few laps. At the fourth portage, when a bad decision by the two South Africans split the race, both kayaks tried to pull out of the portage on the same side crossing positions, alas no one was able to recommence paddling.